MARSHALL (AP) - A civil lawsuit
claims a former Lutheran minister molested eight boys over several years
and that his actions should have been halted by church leaders.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 12 in state district court, names former
Evangelical Lutheran minister Gerald Patrick Thomas Jr., the Chicago-based
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and several other church-related
organizations as defendants.

Thomas, who resigned from the denomination's clergy roster about a year
ago, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. A spokesman for the ELCA
said the church will present its case in court, not in the media.